I have often heard beekeepers comment about the behavior exhibited by their bees. Many feel that the bees truly get to know their keepers. I feel that I am virtually ignored by the guard bees of hives of the bee yards that I visit most frequently. The honey bees have an extremely acute sense of smell, and most recognition of the beekeeper is probably done by detecting odor. However, there are times that honey bees certainly seem to be able to recognize people by their faces. For a week after I harvest honey, I can expect to have bees seek me out and sting me. These are bees from hives that I walk about without protective gear throughout the year. A day or two after harvesting their honey, I have had bees greet me with a sting as soon as I open the door to step from my truck. Were they irritable after being robbed of their honey, or did they remember the face of the robber? This interesting Times story can be found at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/02/science/02bees.html?hpw. The authors of the study indicate that it was their intent to see if honey bee behavior could reveal mechanisms that could be employed by computers for use in facial recognition. Today’s photo is one of the pleasant faces that the bees like to recognize, horticulturist and beekeeper Dallas Holland.
--Richard
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What a fascinating concept that bees recognize faces! I bet that was a fun study to research and report on. This will be my second year of beekeeping and I have been fascinated every step of the way. I will definitely keep this article in the back of my mind during this season and see if I can form some conclusions of my own!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, thanks for posting this and the provided link.
ReplyDeleteChris
HI, Richard. I saw the article on the bees and was fascinated by it! I do something called Face Reading (will be on the TYRA BANKS SHOW tomorrow reading live studio audience). I also love this site. It is beautiful and friendly. One thought: in India the yogis talk about a quality called ahimsa - harmlessness. I bet the guard bees feel your confience and your gentleness, which is why they don't go into high alert?
ReplyDeleteTake care,
Barbara Roberts
www.facereading1.com
Barbara,
ReplyDeleteFace reading is a most interesting concept. Thank you for mentioning your endeavor. I am sure that many have felt an instantaneous “gut instinct” feeling when meeting a stranger. Maybe, we read the stranger’s face and equate certain characteristics with personality traits. Both humans and honey bees exhibit subtle communications capabilities. I am sure that many of our insightful skills have not been fully explored.
One of the reasons that the honey bee genome project was conducted in 2006 was to try to determine how behavior traits evolved and how they may exist in humans. Answers may be revealed for years to come. We have much to learn about ourselves and the honey bee.
--Richard
I had a honey bee around work (poolside restaurant) the last few days that kept trying to get into the bartenders fruit tray. Not wanting anyone to kill him, I put a little agave nectar on my finger and he crawled up it, drank and left...8 mins later he came back. I know that because we started to time his visits. And again he would seek me out and crawl up my finger, finish, leave and come back 8 mins later. The next day he was back. All afternoon long he would come find me. Finally I put a little nectar on a tiny plastic lid and i showed him where it was. When he would fly back and I wasn't around, he would go to the plastic lid, drink and be on his way. Then the next day he brought a friend. I could tell the difference between the two because "billy" -the people at work named him- became very friendly and relaxed while the other bee flew around a bit more wild. But then I taught him the same thing. Pretty soon they would both gather together and eat. By this time we had 4 of them and they all learned the same thing once i showed them were to go. Well today I was told by my boss that I needed to get rid of them. My heart was a bit broken. I threw away the lid with the nectar on it and all afternoon they would find me...land on hand and crawl all over me. People were shocked by how tame they were. All I had to do was hold out my hand and they would land on it. One of the most amazing things considering I was afraid of them before this. I'm not working tomorrow so I'm sure they will have moved on but it will be interesting to see what happens after that. I hope that hand feeding them at first did not do any harm to them. My intentions were to help them not harm them.
ReplyDeleteInteresting story! The eight-minute time involved in the individual bee’s foraging trips is a measure of the two-way distance to the bee hive and her hand-off of the nectar. Once she has learned a reliable source of nectar, she returns. As you see, foraging honey bees are quite gentle creatures.
Delete--Richard